SubscribePerhaps European investigators who are complaining of stonewalling by the US government in their investigation into the secret CIA detention centers and prisoner rendition should give ABC News and the Washington Post a call. Chances are, they know something they’re not telling. Have a look at this very interesting exchange between Brian Ross, Chief Investigative Correspondent for ABC News, and Ed Schultz provides wonderful insight into how the media will often apply self censorship to themselves:
It seems the NSA snooping scandal has taken a little twist. ABC News journalists Brian Ross and Richard Esposito have claimed that a federal source told them “the government is tracking the phone numbers we … call in an effort to root out confidential sources.”
Ever since watching the films Powaqqatsi and Koyaanisqatsi, I was turned towards director Godfrey Reggioâ??s ideas about technology as environment, that “itâ??s no longer something we use, but something we live. The popular myth of neutrality, that technology is â??neutralâ? and itâ??s the use or misuse of it that determines its value, I think is woefully inadequate.”
“The thought police would get him just the same. He had committedâ??would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paperâ??the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.”
- George Orwell, 1984
Orwell, were he still alive, would have been rather fascinated at the technological advances that now allow governments to spy on their citizens. He would probably also be amazed to realise that it no longer requires a physical person to connect the dots to suspect someone of being a possible terrorist, or to monitor thought crime. The Great Firewall of China is an excellent example how an increasingly technological age allows for greater methods of control and surveillence.
“Out the box” is one of my worst business catch-phrases ever since I worked for a guy who was a walking catch-phrase dictionary. He couldn’t seem to talk without some abbreviation or acronym coming out his mouth. Regardless, the description suits this case because it’s good to see someone talking about new business models when it comes to music, file sharing, and copyright. The company in question is Nettwerk, run by a Terry McBride, and the model is something he calls “behavioural marketing”.
Dear God Almighty … this has got to be the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. I’ve long been a big fan of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, and Steven Colbert has always been one of the highlights of the show. This, however, has raised Colbert to another level (or a new low, depending on your outlook on life). The man has some serious balls to lampoon Bush to his face. Ten points! And if he gets shot, we know who did it.
Check out parts 1-3 on YouTube.
Update: Looks like the YouTube version got pulled due to copyright infringement (puke), so you can get another version here.